AK: How genetics changed mush dogs of the past

Lots of dogs resting in Galena, where many mushers are taking their 24 hour rests this year (Photo: Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media)The huskies running today’s Iditarod bear little resemblance to the bulky sled-dogs Alaskans used to rely on year-round. As breeding programs have refined genetic lines to create dogs designed to excel at the thousand-mile winter-time race, the cost of specialization has been a lack of versatility. Decades ago, sled-dogs might have run in races, but they